Sourcing posters and printed matter from China
Printed matter of heading 4911 from China, including posters, art prints, printed pictures and photographs, commercial catalogues, flyers and other trade advertising, pays 0% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. Import VAT follows the UK VAT rules for printed matter: catalogues and leaflets are zero-rated, while posters are standard-rated at 20%. Cambridge China Bridge sources printed matter.
Posters, art prints, trade catalogues, flyers and printed photographs pay 0% UK duty from China, but import VAT differs by item. A worked example.
Zero duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, commercial catalogues, other trade advertising material, printed pictures, designs and photographs, and other printed matter of heading 4911 carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Books and brochures bound as books are in heading 4901, and book printing has its own guide; postcards and greeting cards are in 4909, calendars in 4910 and paper labels in 4821. Confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial catalogues | 4911 10 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Other trade advertising, such as flyers | 4911 10 90 00 | 0% | None |
| Posters, art prints and photographs | 4911 91 00 90 | 0% | None |
| Other printed matter | 4911 99 00 00 | 0% | None |
Import VAT is not the same for every item
Import VAT is charged at the rate that would apply to a sale of the same goods in the UK. HMRC VAT Notice 701/10 lists catalogues, trade catalogues, mail order catalogues, brochures and leaflets as zero-rated, and posters, calendars and postcards as standard-rated. A mixed shipment of catalogues and posters therefore needs each line declared at its own VAT rate, and the zero rating depends on the item meeting the notice's tests, so check a borderline item before you order it.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 20,000 printed posters under 4911 91 00 90, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,800, so it is £1,360. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.
What goes wrong
Printed matter fails on colour, paper and moisture. Artwork supplied in RGB prints duller than the screen, and without a signed hard proof there is nothing to judge the bulk against. Paper can be swapped for a lighter weight or a different coating, and paper shipped by sea absorbs moisture so posters curl and catalogue pages cockle. Rolled posters crease in thin tubes, and catalogue covers crack at the spine when the grain runs the wrong way.
Supply print-ready CMYK files with bleed, approve a hard proof or press sample on the actual stock, write paper weight and finish into the order, and at inspection check colour against the proof, the paper weight, trimming and folding, and moisture-proof packing. Printers in China will not print maps that show borders differently from the official Chinese version, so raise any map in the artwork early.
Cambridge China Bridge sources posters, art prints, catalogues and flyers, with proofs, paper and packing agreed before the run. See how our sourcing service works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on posters from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, posters and other printed matter of heading 4911 carried 0% duty from China.
Do printed catalogues pay import VAT?
Catalogues are zero-rated in HMRC VAT Notice 701/10, so they pay no import VAT; posters are standard-rated.
Where do calendars and postcards go?
Calendars are in heading 4910 and postcards and greeting cards in 4909, not 4911.
How do I stop posters arriving curled?
Specify moisture-proof packing and strong tubes or flat cartons, and check them at inspection.